From Dynamic-No-Turn-on-Red signals to raised crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands, more than 100 projects have been completed in 2026, and that’s only half of what will be done by the end of the year.

A raised crosswalk and other safety measures have been installed in front of Webster Hill School. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford is now three-and-a-half years into the Vision Zero initiative – two-and-a-half years into implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan – and in a mid-year progress update to the Town Council’s Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) Committee last week, it’s clear that the pace of implementation has not slowed, with the report indicating new safety measures installed throughout town.

“You can really feel that our town has embraced this initiative, and I think that’s incredibly important,” Town Manager Rick Ledwith told CPED members and other Council members who attended Wednesday’s meeting, noting that it’s been a team effort and much more than just an engineering initiative, and requests continue to come from all over town to improve roadway safety. “The work is changing the way we think about and how we approach safety on our streets. We’re not going to stop until we’ve made our town safer for everyone who uses our streets – pedestrians, and cyclists, and transit users, and drivers as well.”

The CPED meeting had been postponed from an earlier date over the summer, and while the written report indicated that 98 Vision Zero projects had been completed thus far this year, in his presentation Town Engineer Greg Sommer said now there are well over 100 projects completed, and that’s not quite half of what is planned before the end of the construction season.

Some of the 2026 projects are installations of more of the same measures that have already been successful – raised crosswalks, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB), and quick-build and permanent curb extensions, bike lanes – but there are some new tools as well, including Dynamic No-Turn-On-Red signals which light up at intersections when pedestrians have pushed the button at the crosswalk.

There are now six “on demand type restriction” signs installed at three different intersection in West Hartford, Sommer said, on Trout Brook Drive southbound at Park Road, in all directions at the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Trout Brook Drive, and at North Main Street and Asylum Avenue.

Dynamic No-Turn-on-Red signs have been installed, including at the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Trout Brook Drive. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The resurfacing of Prospect Avenue between Kane Street and Park Road incorporated a road diet – from two travel lanes in each direction to one in each direction with a two-way center turn lane and buffered bike lane. A shared use path was created from the University of Saint Joseph campus to the ballfields and playground area at 1700 Asylum Avenue, where the Miracle Field is located, and that will be extended to the intersection of Trout Brook Drive and Asylum Avenue this fall, Sommer said.

A RRFB had previously been installed at the crosswalk on Webster Hill Boulevard in front of Webster Hill Elementary School, but over the summer a raised crosswalk was constructed and some delineator posts were also installed to prevent vehicles from parking in the crossing area – and in the bike lane.

A raised crosswalk and other safety measures have been installed in front of Webster Hill School. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Speed limits have recently been reduced to 25 mph throughout the Charter Oak International Academy school neighborhood. “A lot of the grid neighborhoods in town one street might be 25, the next street over might be 30, the other street might not even have a posted speed limit. So we’re looking to try and standardize that,” Sommer said. That neighborhood was one of the focus areas in the Vision Zero Action Plan, Sommer said, adding that “We’re currently working with the DOT, seeking approval for some streets in the Smith School neighborhood.”

Speed limits throughout the Charter Oak International Academy neighborhood are now posted at 25 mph. Screenshot from presentation to West Hartford Town Council CPED meeting

Quick-build curb extensions have been installed all over town, and recently sprung up near Conard High School, at the intersection of Beechwood Road and Ashford, and at Beechwood and Berkshire. “What we’re trying to do with those is some of them become permanent,” Sommer said, as they prove to be successful.

As part of the Vision Zero initiative, curb extensions have been added at intersections near Conard High School, including at Beechwood and Ashford roads. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

Plans are to install additional raised crosswalks, with locations including Fern Street at Montclair Drive and Steele Road at Birch Road.

Not all of the Vision Zero projects are visible to the public, such as updates to the timing of traffic signals with the aid of traffic cameras, including at the I-84 and Park Road intersection. Regarding improvements to the operational efficiency of the signals, Sommer said, “Hopefully that will help improve driver behavior. Maybe drivers won’t become as aggressive.”

Traffic signals have been adjusted, including at the I-84 Park Road intersection. Screenshot from presentation to West Hartford Town Council CPED meeting

Also included in the list of projects are extensions of sidewalks, including a path to Bugbee Elementary School, and the bike lane on Farmington Avenue connecting the Trout Brook Trail to Main Street – which was completed and well-used during Sunday’s Center Streets event.

Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 30, 2026. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

A pedestrian refuge hub on Starkel Road, between the Senior Center/Bishops Corner Library and West Hartford Fellowship House, was originally installed as a quick-build. “We went ahead this year and actually installed some extruded concrete curb … to make that more permanent,” said Sommer.

Pedestrian refuge island on Starkel Road between the Senior Center and West Hartford Fellowship Housing. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Garden Homes, which is currently constructing four apartment buildings in what was formerly the parking lot for the UConn West Hartford campus, installed sidewalk along Trout Brook Drive so there is no longer a gap between Asylum Avenue and Lawler Road, Sommer said.

“We’re trying to touch neighborhoods throughout the entire town and I think we’ve been successful in doing that,” Sommer said.

He also noted that some of the current projects as well as forthcoming projects are funded through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants obtained by the town. The Town of West Hartford received a $669,007 SS4A grant in 2023, which provides 80% of the funding for the automated speed management pilot program, and a second SS4A grant of $3,178,100 in 2024, which includes the red-light-running camera pilot program as well as the implementation of the Vulnerable User Safety Program.

West Hartford Civil Engineer Parker Sorenson told We-Ha.com that the second SS4A grant (80% funding for the overall $3,972,625 project costs) includes Road Safety Audits that are planned for South and North Main streets (Webster Hill Boulevard to Loomis Drive), Farmington Avenue from Wetland Avenue to Whiting Lane, North Main Street from Asylum Avenue to Huron Drive, and New Britain Avenue from Mayflower Street to the Hartford line. The signal timing evaluations, safety awareness campaigns, pedestrian safety zone improvements in commercial areas, school zone speed limit evaluations, and some construction funding are part of that grant – as is the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program for all 16 schools in town that is getting underway this fall and will look at how students get to school, traffic circulation, etc.

“I know right now it’s a little bit of a sensitive topic,” Sommer said regarding the speed and red light cameras due to the recent public concern regarding the Flock automated license plate reader cameras (ALPR) – which are a different type of technology and unlike the speed and red light cameras are not part of the town’s Vision Zero program.

Several weeks ago, Gov. Ned Lamont asked towns to pause the installation of any new safety cameras as well as ALPR cameras. In an email, Ledwith told We-Ha.com that “Governor Lamont is currently awaiting a statewide review from the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council, which will include guidance concerning privacy, data access, sharing, retention, and other safeguards. The Town is closely tracking that process and will carefully review the Council’s guidance when it is issued. We will implement any new protocols or safeguards recommended through that process and make any appropriate updates to our own policies and practices.”

West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan construction on Farmington Avenue. Aug. 29, 2026. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

As road and other infrastructure projects are being implemented, the town’s Complete Streets focus serves as a guidebook – as can be seen with the narrowing of crossing areas as part of the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan. New road projects are on horizon as well, and all are being approached through the lens of the Vision Zero initiative.

The New Park Avenue Complete Streets Improvement Plan, which will include a road diet and two-way center turning lane as well as a separated cycle track, is currently out to bid, with responses due on Sept. 15, according to the town website.

Designs for the Park Road and Sedgwick Road projects – both of which will incorporate safety measures – are still being finalized. “We hope to advertise before the end of the year with construction beginning in the spring of 2027,” Sommer told We-Ha.com.

“It astounds me that we’re going to get over 200 individual projects done this season,” CPED Committee member John Lyons said. He said the changes are visible every day driving around town. “I’m just so impressed and so blown away by the work that’s been done. The work must continue but it deserves recognition.”

Upgrades underway to the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road. Aug. 20, 2026. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

CPED member Barry Walters agreed and said he’s pleased to see the permanent bump-outs and sidewalk work. He asked about Bishops Corner being included in the pedestrian safety zone review, and Sommer said there is already a CTDOT project being planned in the area and perhaps it will be considered at that time.

The Vision Zero Initiative began in West Hartford in 2023, immediately following an unprecedented string of tragic incidents, including five traffic fatalities, in December 2022. The initial Vision Zero Action Plan was in draft form by the end of 2023, and adopted by the Town Council in February 2024. The 10-year timeframe began with the launch of the initiative in 2023, and utilizes a holistic and multi-faceted approach targeting policies and practices, safe design, culture, and data, to achieve the goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes.

The CPED presentation provided an important update, but the most recent Vision Zero Annual Report, which was delivered in February 2026, also included data regarding the effectiveness of measures. During that presentation, Sorenson noted an increase in enforcement efforts from West Hartford Police. “The number of motor vehicle stops is up 21% in 2025,” Sorenson said. The top-10 list of violations prompting those stops in 2025 included 2,094 for speeding, 1,083 for failure to obey a traffic control signal, 924 for distracted driving, and 448 for stop sign violations.

During a meeting of the Town Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 1, a report provided by West Hartford Police Assistant Chief Larry Terra noted that there were 146 motor vehicle accidents in town in August 2026. Keeping with the focus on Vision Zero, Terra said this month West Hartford Police made 535 traffic stops, and year-to-date have made a total of 5,815 stops for enforcement, for reasons including “moving violations, speeding, distracted driving, and some equipment violations.”

The PowerPoint presentation that Sommer shared during the CPED meeting, which includes a complete list of the implemented and planned Vision Zero projects, has been provided as a PDF below. Details can also be found on the Vision Zero webpage on the Town of West Hartford website.

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